Pixies

A band whose influence went far beyond their initial popularity, the Pixies were one of alternative rock's cornerstone bands. The story began humbly enough at UMass Amherst, where dorm friends Charles Thompson and Joey Santiago began tossing songs around; however the Pixies weren't formed until both moved to Boston in 1985. There Thompson, who was now using the alias Black Francis, placed a Boston Phoenix ad seeking a female bass player who liked Husker Du and Peter, Paul & Mary; according to legend Kim Deal (then calling herself Mrs. John Murphy, her married name at the time) was the only one to show up.

Deal also recommended drummer David Lovering after her twin sister Kelley turned down the gig. The newly-christened Pixies made a quick ascent in the Boston scene, for a time closely aligned with Throwing Muses (with whom they shared managed Ken Goes and for whom they opened numerous early shows; the two bands also wound up 4AD labelmates). Beginning in October 1987, the Pixies within 19 months released all their most acclaimed work: The EP Come On Pilgrim and the albums Surfer Rosa and Doolittle.

Here the band developed all its trademarks, notably Thompson's twisted worldview: He dealt regularly with incest, death and dismemberment, all with a twisted smile. Also notable were Santiago's jagged guitar sound, and the mix of Thompson's whispered-or-screamed lead vocals with Deal's ironically sweet harmonies (and occasional leads, as on the college radio hit "Gigantic"). These releases made the Pixies indie and college-radio favorites, but mainstream recognition didn't automatically follow.

The next two albums, Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, were both controversial with fans due to the softer sound and Deal's lowered profile; on the latter album Thompson replaced his sex-death fascination with stronger sci-fi leanings. Despite their snagging a stadium tour opening for U2, tensions mounted within the band until Thompson pulled another famous move and fired everyone by fax in 1991. Thompson (now calling himself Frank Black) went onto a prolific solo career, while Deal found success in the Breeders.

And mainstream attention finally caught up to the Pixies after they split, with Radiohead, Nirvana and others naming them as influences; Kurt Cobain famously claimed in Rolling Stone that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a Pixies ripoff (Thompson later said he agreed). After dodging reunion offers for a few years, the band launched a reunion tour with a Minneapolis show in April 2004.

The reunited Pixies wound up outstripping their original success by far, playing more shows to bigger crowds, though it took another nine years before they released any new material. The reunion album Indie Cindy (2013) was made without Kim Deal who dropped out shortly before the sessions; she was first replaced by Muffs leader Kim Shattuck (who proved too much of a frontwoman for the Pixies' taste) and then by Paz Lenchantin. This lineup debuted on the 2016 album Head Carrier (which like its predecessor, got a mixed reaction from fans) and the Pixies carried on, with a summer-shed tour with Weezer confirmed for 2018.